Slow Cooker Thai-Inspired Butternut Squash and Peanut Soup

Using the slow cooker during the summer is one of my favorite things to do, it prevents the whole apartment from getting overheated from the oven or stove. I also love recipes with Thai ingredients such as coconut milk and curry paste. This soup smelled divine and was incredibly easy to make.

Recipe form Kalyn's Kitchen.

Ingredients:

-2 pounds peeled and cubed butternut squash

-1 cup vegetable broth

-salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

-2 teaspoons olive oil  

-1 onion, finely chopped

-2 teaspoons minced garlic

-1 teaspoons minced ginger root

-1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped

-1 can (14 oz.) light coconut milk

-2 tablespoons red curry paste

-1/2 cup natural peanut butter (without added sugar) 

-1 tablespoon brown sugar

-2 teaspoons soy sauce

-2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice

Put the butternut squash cubes and vegetable stock into the slow cooker, season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper, and cook on high for 2 hours. Once the squash has softened, use the immersion blender to puree it in the slow cooker.

Once the squash is pureed, heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add onion and saute until browned. Then add the minced garlic, minced ginger, and diced red bell pepper and saute for about one minute. Next add the coconut milk, red curry paste, and peanut butter and heat  until the curry paste and peanut butter melt into the coconut milk.  Add the brown sugar and soy sauce.

Stir the coconut milk mixture into the pureed squash, turn slow cooker to low and cook for 1 hour more. After one hour stir in the fresh lime juice and cook about 15 minutes more.  Serve hot, 

We were pretty obsessed with this soup. The blend of the red curry paste, coconut milk and peanut butter was excellent. The texture of this soup will be thick, especially the leftovers. If you prefer a different texture, you could add a little water to the leftovers before microwaving them. This soup made about eight servings, so there will be plenty of leftovers.